Good try but no on both accounts. what you are looking at is the first rear wheel drive car to qualify for the Indianapolis 500 in 1939. The driver was George Bailey. Bailey completed 47 laps. Three cars were commissioned for the 38 race but only one was complected in time but did not qualify. In 1939 all three were present but the car driven by Bailey was the only one to make the field. So it wasn't the Brit's that introduced rear engine technology to the Indy!
Here is some interesting stuff about Miller. 1938 Miller Gulf Special Images, Information and History (Gulf-Miller Tucker Special, 4WD Indy) | Conceptcarz.com

Go ahead and ask a question anyway. BB
The car looked a little different in 1939

BB, that was SUPER interesting reading! I have a good old friend from school who just recently found out that an uncle of his who was killed back in the sixties auto racing who raced at Indy in 66 and was a part of the Andretti team a few years later as I remember. But he has photos of him at Indy! Wild history there at Indy.

Ok guys, I think I have a fun one here. I once read a book on the VW and it had a very interesting claim that they came to America and bought two cars, same make, and model but two different years. They took these cars back to Germany and dissected them looking for ideas on their new car they were making, the Type 1 (Bug).

My questions will I am sure create some dialog as this stuff is sometimes opinion, but some is pure fact that you just can't deny.

1. What were the two cars they bought. Now you don't need to go searching for the actual answer, that's the cool part, just look a 1949 Bug and you may come up with it, it's pretty obvious (after you know of course often things are obvious).

2. Name five things that show up on this bug that ARE copied sure as day from those two cars they took back to Germany. One of them we recently discussed on this thread!

I have been a fan of the VW for a long time and when I read this I was blown away at this info. I have asked for 5, there are MANY things that are direct copies of the original cars they bought.

Well Brian, Yep you have opened up a can of worms here!. I'm guessing that maybe the design you had in mind is similar to a 39 or 40 Ford. It kind of looks like that to me . Or maybe a Volvo. Or maybe you have another year and model in mind.
Let me show you something that kind of interesting. Care to guess what it is and when it was made? But you probably know the answer. BB

Yep dan, how about the front horn grilles and he a 36 Ford, the head lights, etc.

But there are two mechanical features that are on these Fords that I don't know of a single car made in America or anywhere in the world that used them. I am sure there are some as I am not an expert on every car made. But you and I both have seen a lot of cars in our lives and I personally don't remember any other car with these two features. We very recently discussed one of them in this thread.

You are close, so I will give you one of the cars was a 38 Ford, the other was a 36 Ford.

So name five of the same features on those cars and the VW. Two are mechanical that you can't see in the photos I posted but well known.

Brian

Yes it does kinda look like a Citroen 2cv but it's not. What it is is the Porsche 1932 VW Type 12 prototype. Hitler ordered Porsche to design a Volkswagen "The Peoples Car" in 1934 but it was already under development. That being said let's go back a little earlier to about 1923 and a guy named Josef Ganz. Ganz was a Jewish engineer and car magazine publisher who developed a number of small "Volkswagens" the last being a vehicle he started building in Germany and got into production in Switzerland with the name Standard Fahrzeugfabrik. Ganz's magazine started talking about his "Volkswagen" in 1923. When Hitler came into power in the thirties Ganz was arrested by the Gestapo in 1933 after Hitler saw his car at the IAMA (Internationale Auto- und Motorradausstellung) in Berlin in February 1933 and became interested in a German "Volkswagen". The Gestapo persuaded Ganz " a Hungarian Jew"to stop with his work and especially the use of the name "Volkswagen". Ganz fled the country to Switzerland and got screwed over by the Swiss.
Hitler assigned the " Volkswagen" project to Porsche in 1934. Porsche toured three U.S. auto plants in 1934 and came back with American cars. So who is the brain behind the Volkswagen? Oh yeah Ganz and Porsche knew each other from way back. Volkswagen finally admitted Ganz's "Contribution" in the 60's
Here is a picture of Ganz's car that Hitler saw.

Yep dan, how about the front horn grilles and he a 36 Ford, the head lights, etc.

But there are two mechanical features that are on these Fords that I don't know of a single car made in America or anywhere in the world that used them. I am sure there are some as I am not an expert on every car made. But you and I both have seen a lot of cars in our lives and I personally don't remember any other car with these two features. We very recently discussed one of them in this thread.

Brian

I don't see any vent window frames on that VW. Perhaps they had Ford-style roll back vent windows?

I would have never guessed that their styling was borrowed from a 36/38 Ford....I was thinking Airflow.

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